Engine



Sept. 14 ,1926& 1,599,878

E. DICKEY ET AL ENGINE Filed April 30. 1923 Ernest Dickey and Jesse'fi. House/1 M I 5 g 344W E11 Patented Sept. l i,

warren stares 1,599,878 earner OFFICE.

ERNEST DICKEY AND JESSE E. HO'USER, OF DAYT GN, OHIO, ASSIGN ORS T DELCO- LIGHT COMPANY, OF DAYTON, 63110, A CORFBORATION OF DELAWARE.

ENGINE.

Application filed April 30, 1923. Serial No. 635,530.

The present invention aims to provide a,

uniform fuel mixture to the engine; to lift the fuel to the engine intake quickly when which is not readily clogged with foreign matter; to provide a fuel feeding system in which the fuel line is constructed so that air cannot enter in said line. I

Other and further objects of the present invention may be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein a preferred embodiment of. one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an end view partly in section of an internal-combustion engine and fuel tank; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, an internalcombustion engine 20 is mounted upon a fuel tank 21 and held in place by bolts 22. En-

. gine 20 comprises a crank case 23 which supports a cylinder 24 in which reciprocates a piston .25. Cylinder 24 carries. a cylinder head 26 having an intake port 27 and an exhaust port 28 controlled respectively by valves 29 and 30.

Crank case 23 merges into a tubular ex tension 32 forming a passage 33 which is in direct communication with the interior of said crank case 23. A breather tube 34 is carried by the extension 32 and forms a passage between the interior of the crank case and a carburetor. The carburetor comprises a casting 35 secured in any suitablr manner to the cylinder head 26 and provided with a passage 36 leading from the breather tube 34 to the intake 27. The diameter of the passage 36 is restricted as at 37 to form a Venturi passage where the liquid fuel and air are mixed. The quantity of air passing from the crank case 23 to the passage 36 is constarting the engine; to provide a fuel nozzle trolled by a disc valve 38 having opening .39. Valve 38 is carried by a shaft 40 and controlled by a lever 41.

Fuel tank 21 is provided with a tapped hole adapted to receive a bushing 43 having a recesswhlch is adapted to receive a collar 44. Collar 44 is secured to a fuel pipe 45 in any suitable manner such as by soldering.

Bushing 43 is tapped to receive a bushing 46 which clamps the collar 44 within the bushing 43. Pipe 45 carries at its lower end a check valve body 48 carrying a check valve 49. A screen 50, surrounding the check valve body 48, is carried by the lower part of bushing 43, said screen being adapted to prevent dirt from entering said valve body.

Carburetor casting 35 is provided with a transverse passage'52 leading to the Venturi passage 37. Passage 52 is enlargedto form a recess which is adapted to receive acollar 53 wh ch is secured to the upper end of pipe 45 and which is also clamped in place by a bushing 54. Thepipe 45. extends into passage 52 to provide a fuel nozzle. v

The bore or inside diameter of pipe 45 is.

substantially uniform and is such as to offer sufiicient resistance to theflow of fuel that only the required amount of fuel will pass.

through it during the suction stroke of the engine. The pipe 45 itself restricts or meters the flow of fuel thus rendering unnecessary the-use of aseparate fuel metering nozzle. Since the flow of fuel through thepipe is,

metered by virtue of friction over a relatively long length of pipe, the nozzle end of the pipe can be as great in diameter as any other portion of the pipe. Therefore the use of a nozzle having an exceedingly small metering hole is eliminated, and the liability of clogging the fuel line with foreign particles is minimized. v For example, in an engine having a 2.5 inch piston it has been the custom to use a onefourth inch fuel line and a .022 inch fuel metering nozzle. By taking advantage of the present invention a .O50-fuel line can be used with the same metering effect as the .022 inch nozzle. r The small fuel pipe without distinct metering nozzle assists inmaintaining a uniform fuel air mixture and is especially useful in a four cycle single cylinder engine where the carburetor air is taken from the crank case. During the explosion stroke of the engine, air will be forced from the crank ease into the carburetor and, since the intake valve of the engine is closed at this time, this air will be compressed and be forced down the fuel line driving the fuel therein back into the supply tank. The check valve 49 is intended to maintain the fuel line full, but may leak slightly, in which case the fuel level in the fuel line would fall. The drop in fuel diu'ing the explosion stroke will be much less with small fuel pipe without metering nozzle than in a larger fuel line with metering nozzle because, as the check valve in the small fuel line is usually smaller than in the larger fuel line there is less leaking at the check valve in the small fuel line, and because there is more resistance to fuel flow in the small fuel line by virtue of capillarity which is much greater in the small line than in the larger line.

During the suction stroke, whatever air may have been forced into the fuel line will be sucked out with the liquid fuel. This fuel, and air will not be uniform and therefore the engine fuel mixture will vary. By taking advantage of the present invention, this variation is minimized since the amount of air forced into the fuel line has been greatly reduced.

The small fuel pipe also provides a fuel supply system in which the engine can be started quicker. Although a check valve is provided for maintaining a head of fuel in the fuel pipe, it may happen that said check valve develops a slow leak; and after the engine has stood idle for a time, the fuel will drain from the pipe. Then when the engine is again started, the fuel must be lifted from a low level. If a pipe of small bore is used only a small amount of air need be sucked out of said pipe to bring the fuel level in the pipe adjacent the passage 37. Therefore the fuel will be 'aised to its high level in a relatively short time. Should the check valve leak 111 a system using a large pipe, all of the air must be exhausted from said large pipe before the fuel is raised to the engine, and therefore more time will be expended to start the engine than would be required in a plant using a relatively small fuel pipe.

Leaking at the check valve 48 is of course retarded by capillarity of pipe 45, and in relatively small plants requiring a relativesmall fuel metering fuel pipe, capillarity may be sufiicient to maintain a column of fuel in the supply pipe without the use of a check valve although the plant may stand idle for some time.

The present invention provides for the control of the flow of fuel to the carburetor to a degree of accuracy greater than possible when using a fuel pipe which offers relatively little resistance to the flow of fuel and depending on a fuel metering nozzle. In the latter construction practically all of the restriction to fuel flow is concentrated at one location, hence the metering orifice of the nozzle must be accurately made and must be kept free of particles of foreign matter. In a plant having a El inch engine cylinder, this metering orifice may be as small as .022 inch in diameter, therefore a few thousandtlis variation in diameter from this dimension will materially affect the control of fuel flow. This metering orifice is depended onto arrest the flow of fuel toward the carburetor when the engine intake valve suddenly closes. In a fuel pipe of large diameter the momentum of the moving column of fuel may be substantial. Unless the metering orifice in the nozzle is accurately made, this momentum may not be overcome, and carburetor may receive an excessive amount of fuel.

The present invention provides that the resistance to the flow of fuel be distributed over a considerable area and length of pipe instead of being concentrated. Therefore there may be a variation in fuel pipe bore over a wider range of limits than permissible in the fuel n'ietering nozzle.

lVhile the form of mechanism herein shown and described constitutes a preferred embodiment of one form of the invention, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted and various changes and alterations made in the shape, size, and proportion of the elements therein without depart ing from the spirit and scope-of the invention.

lVhat is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination with an internal combustion engine having a vertically arranged cylinder, an enclosed crank case, and a pas sage leading from said crank case upward and entering said cylinder adjacent the upper end thereof, and through which passage a mixture of air and liquid fuel is supplied to the engine by suction; a fuel. supply tank located adjacent the lower end of the engine; and a fuel supply conduit of substantially uniform size throughout its length leading from said tank and discharging into said passage adjacent the upper end thereof; said conduit being of comparatively small cross sectional area so that the resistance opposing the flow of fuel therethrough will be sufficient to limit the amount of fuel supplied to the engine to the normal require ment thereof and to limit the receding of the fuel from the mixture passage during the interval between suction strokes of the engine.

2. In a fuel .supply system for internal combustion engines and in combination with a passage through which a mixture of air and liquid fuel is supplied to the engine by suction, a fuel supply tank located a substantial distance below said passage and adapted to contain a supply of liquid fuel;

and a relatively long fuel supply conduit normal requirement thereof and to limit the of substantially uniform size throughout its receding of the fuel from the mixture pas- 10 length leading from said tank and dischargsage during the interval between suction ing into said passage; said conduit being of strokes of the engine.

comparatively small cross sectional area so In testimony whereof We hereto aflix our that the resistance opposing the flow of fuel signatures.

therethrough Will be suflicient to limit the ERNEST DICKEY. amount of fuel supplied to the engine to the JESSE E. HOUSER. 

